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Uggla tries to push hit streak to 30 games vs. Marlins

Aug 9, 2011 - 2:37 PM (Sports Network) - Dan Uggla tries to run his hitting streak to 30 straight games tonight when the Atlanta Braves play the middle contest of a three-game set with the Florida Marlins at Sun Life Stadium.

Uggla helped the Braves take last night's opener by an 8-5 score, beating out an infield single during the fifth inning to increase his streak. Following a Chipper Jones single, Alex Gonzalez belted a three-run homer to pad Atlanta's lead.

The current career-best hitting streak by Uggla is also tied for the second- longest in Atlanta history with Rowland Office (1976). Rico Carty has the record of 31 games, set in 1970. The former Marlin is also one game shy of matching the longest hitting streak by a player this year, set earlier in the season by Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andre Ethier.

"I'm just going up and trying to hit the ball hard," Uggla said. "I'm just trying to get on base to get a chance to score. That's all I'm trying to do."

Freddie Freeman had a two-run single as part of the offensive explosion for the National League wild card leaders, who backed Derek Lowe's six innings. Lowe (7-10) scattered six hits and allowed two runs to snap a three-start losing streak.

Brad Hand (1-4), who lost to the Braves, 1-0, in his major league debut on June 7, was charged with nine hits and seven runs over five frames.

Greg Dobbs homered in the eighth inning and John Buck smacked a two-run blast off Scott Proctor in the ninth for the Marlins, who lost their fifth straight game.

Florida had been at .500 (55-55) before the skid, but has since fallen a half-game behind Washington into the basement of the National League's East Division and 11 1/2 games behind the Braves in the chase for the wild card.

Reliever-turned-starter Clay Hensley gets his chance to end a Florida plummet tonight.

Hensley, who opened the season with 20 straight bullpen outings, made the transition on July 18 and beat the New York Mets, 4-1, after five innings of scoreless, one-hit ball.

He's 0-2 in three starts since, having allowed a combined 12 hits and 11 runs in 14 1/3 innings.

He dropped a July 29 decision to the Braves in Atlanta after being touched for three runs on five hits over seven innings of a 5-0 verdict.

Lifetime against the Braves, he's also blown a save while posting a 2.38 earned run average in 22 2/3 innings.

Atlanta starts 24-year-old righty Brandon Beachy, who's won two straight and is unbeaten in three starts since mid-July.

The Indiana native last lost, 12-3, at Colorado on July 18 and downed Hensley and the Marlins in the aforementioned July 29 meeting at Turner Field.

In that game, Beachy allowed just two hits and struck out six in 7 1/3 innings, his longest outing over his last 10 starts.

He followed it up with a 6-4 win at Washington in his most recent start on Aug. 3 and is 4-1 with five no-decisions since the beginning of May.

Atlanta has won seven of its 10 meetings with the Marlins this season.